We all hope that some bank CEO will find the bravery to reverse their abusive policies.

I call on all celebrities, anyone who can, to join in a boycott and withdraw your money from American banks. The speculation of banks folding compared with wanton, unethical treatment of good, moral people is a no-brainer. Withdrawing from banks is the lesser of the two evils. Use Swiss banks, any banks that you can other than American banks. As one reporter said, the mattress is looking good right now. I do realize that many of you have already had to resort to that.

History has shown that the social injustices that have been partially corrected were begrudgingly done so only because of societal pressure. Denying female citizens the right to vote, denying human dignity to black citizens, actually making it illegal to teach a slave, refusing to pay reparations to victims of factory toxins. Cops who beat their wives getting the protection of the police force because of their code of silence. So many victims of fraud.

In our thirties and with two babies in tow, my husband I built onto our first home. We pick-axed the trench, poured concrete, hammered thousands of nails, lifted 2 by 4âs; nailed window headers, installed a full bath, lifted tar rolls and shingles to the new roof, spackled, painted. That two-year process was back-breaking work, but my children got rooms and we began to grow financially. I remember my children saving their Christmas and birthday money in Bank of America, $15 dollars at a time. I was teaching them the value of saving money. Each child got their accounts up to $85.00. Bank of America never told me that the accounts had to be at least $100. So, my childrenâs gift money from relatives was taken by Bank of America. So began my lessons with Bank of Amevil. Years of viciously tremendous MBNA interest fees never allowed us to decrease our debt with them. While MBNA made 100% profit for years on all of our payments, our balance just kept increasing.

When we bought our final house, National City Mortgage held the loan. You can do all of the research youâd like in order to make an informed decision, but in the end, you will probably go with the advice of the âexperts.â

In 2007, my husband and I lost our home, all of our retirement, had to sell a car, moved three times within a year, sporadically go grocery shopping and usually have 10 or 2 items in the fridge, have ceased purchasing clothes even at the thrift shop, have canceled home phone, internet, my cell. Two bankruptcy attorneys told me that we could have easily qualified for full bankruptcy. My husband has been laid off. But for moral reasons, rather than make creditors eat all of the loans, we entered debt settlement.

Now in our fifties, we have started new. No longer with Bank of Amevil, our new credit life with this bank has been honorable. When we opened the account, they offered overdraft protection, which we have used. We make heroic efforts to pay it back. Weâd like for our banking history with this bank to based on our clean, timely payments. We constantly sweat the threat of overdrafts, just making it by pennies. This is a long, slow, painful, extremely stressful process, but we are trying and doing moral best.

However, this new bank found out about our settlements with past creditors, which have nothing to do with the new history we have established, like paying large amounts at a time back for the use of the overdraft protection. With no warning, this bank lowered our overdraft protection and set into motion the likelihood of bounced checks, this time with the creditors with whom we have agreed to settle. Aside from the unethical dilemma in which this bank created for us, the new life of showing prompt payments and good faith, and now future creditors and those who check credit, potential employers, housing, it has been sorely damaged, again.

This unethical treatment of banks preying on those of us who are trying to rebound from losing everything and reestablish our lives must stop immediately.

When I got my undergraduate degree, I read of one theory as to why the ancient Roman Empire fell: their greed.

Corporate greed has long been out of control. Corrupt CEOâs and lobbyists are not only not penalized, they are somehow tremendously rewarded. But morality is not. Morality does not enter into their business practice with customers, though many customers, such as ourselves, use morality to guide our dealings with others, even businesses.

It is a shameful comment on our society that the business world has sentenced us to a legacy of immoral, abusive people.

The greedy have made it clear that money is the only language to which they will respond. Withdrawing it is the only pressure that may force them to stop these perpetrators. Good heavens, Chase charges monthly fees to just check your balance.

To those of you who, like us, have already lost everything, I wish you luck in your struggle to survive, without electricity, without credit, while banks abuse you and further knock you down.

Hopefully, you still have your family and your health. You do have something else. You are the final sounds of decency and morality in our society.

Bang on Adelaide. I'm simply grateful for the anger in your life. Most people would've died a quite death. Rise and Shine. I'll try and post your story on www.energybulletin.net

That's a great place to be, most of the readers on Energy Bulletin, are people who've been living isolated lives. Far from the Corporations, for almost 10 years. We've been scoffed at, and laughed at. Now they've stopped laughing.

Just grow your own stuff, anywhere in the world, hide it, eat it and feed your kids. About the rest you can give them a giant middle finger.

For sometime, I only felt anger, frustration and sorrow at how much we suffer at their hands. Then I began to see people living in their homes, threatened with foreclosure, electricity cut off, keeping food in a cooler, lighting their house by candle light.

I have heard how outrageously Florida banks are penalizing disabled people who have bank accounts.

Of course, I have always known that we were not the only ones hit in this crisis. But the myriad of stories on the Internet, on youtube, on the news compelled me to act.

Adelaide,
I wish you would show as much energy and responsibility towards your finances as you did building your home. What I take issue with is you blaming any banks for your lack of ownership of the problem. You seem very passionate about your opinion. You said you were actively using your overdraft protection. Just so you know, it's intent is to be used just in case, not every day. It is also a loan, so if the bank wants to charge you a fee for that, they have that right. It is, after all THEIR money. If they feel you are not using it responsibly they have the right to lower it. They do not have to inform you in advance, what, so you can borrow it up before they cut it off. That doesn't make sense. You forget something, banks are not non-profits companies. (Well maybe now) No one ever said they owe anyone anything. Tell you what, next time you need a service, like a plumber, doctor, cable installer, vet whatever, ask them if they will perform their services for free. I'm sorry for your trouble and I am lucky everyday I go to work. I was laid off in 06 and sprang back quickly. It's time for people to take some ownership of where we are today. My life isn't perfect but I am tired of listening to people whine about the choices they made and blaming someone else.
And something else, how does having a loan amount lowered compare to womans right to vote or the civil rights movement? Take your prozac and go lay down. You obviously need a nap.

We were taught, to do everything for money.
To study with money, to learn with money, to work for money,
to save money, to buy food with money, to buy clothes with money.

As if everything came only from money.
The shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line.

If you wanted food go and pick it up. Is how tribals live even today.
There's no doctor, plumber, electrician. Who said you need one to live.
Do pigs and dogs use any of them? Are we less intellegent than animals?

So your assessment of my writing compels you to just whine rather than to take action and fix a broken system?

Obviously, I have the MORAL responsibility to actually pay back creditors, rather than to just declare bankruptcy as many have, including multibillion dollar businesses. I actually chose to pay back what I owe. A great many people are in the same position in which I find myself, and there are those who are even far worse off. Your juvenile reading comprehension glossed over the clear statements that I am responsible in spite of the immoral, unethical business practices of American banks and lenders. I don't know where you have been, but corporate greed is unconscionable. Perhaps you are blind to it because your business is in the financial world.

I also stated that I take heroic efforts to pay back overdraft use. That means that I make large payments, certainly larger than what is the minimum. It was the bank that changed, WITHOUT WARNING. Such unethical business practice necessarily thrusts us into having to use overdraft again. Perhaps that idea, also, does not occur to you. As I say, your lack of reading comprehension glossed over that consequence, also.

I also said that thinking the problem was a personal sorrow only, I accepted the agony in silence. It was only when I comprehended through news information (coming from reading comprehension ability) how much sorrow these same kind of businesses, banks, and the same kind of practices were causing millions of people across America. Only then, did I realize that I should use the talent that God gave me to, as it says in Psalms, "speak up for those who are unable."

A former writer and teacher of writing, part of my job was determining who does not really comprehend what they read, which translates into poor writing skills, etc... That definitely seems to be the case here. When you decide to stop being pissed off at that suggestion, if you are able to calm down and think rationally, you might like to read over what I wrote.

Being challenged for your juvenile reading comprehension abilities, and, by extension, your inability to empathize with the economic plight in which millions and millions of Americans find themselves and who actually is responsible, you were likely too pissed off to get this far in this reply. Just in case, you might like to re-read my original statement. I have taken a teacher's effort to point out the deficits in your assessment. If you even reply, I expect it, too, will be a juvenile one.

It is regrettable that there are people, and businesses, who still chose to place blame on those of us who are moral and responsible, rather than to realize that there is a massive injustice that needs to be repaired.

Next, you might like to read the news of what is going on in the US economic sphere.

Adelaide,
I love the fact that you focused on my childish scribble and my inability to comprehend anything but still you avoid taking any ownership of your issues. What evil bank held a gun to your head and forced you to write a bad check? I must have touched some nerve to have prompted such a vicious response. Who was whining? I suggest another pill followed by a nap.

My personal feeling is that we do not have to pay back loan sharks. Obviously if it is not a stretch you can save your credit score. But banks are borrowing at 1/2 percent and lending at 20-30 percent. That usury is more than many can bear. They go to mommy government for a bailout, while we have to bail ourselves out of debt by walking away from bad loans.

Dear Sometimes.
It's a sad state of affairs when women in this country can't have an intelligent conversation with a man. You are a poor example of intelligence as a man because you resort to a standard low esteemed male response that tries to shut a woman up if he can't out debate her, agree to disagree, and/or is afraid to be around a woman who has a thought. You would do better to keep quite around those who are smarter than you. When a man uses condacending language toward a woman it's verbal battery and humuliation. It isn't much different than physical battery. Men who resort to these tactics contribute to women not being able to have any voice at all. "I suggest another pill followed by a nap". Would you dare say that to a man? Bet you try to keep your wife, daughter, secretary, female co workers and the like under your thumb and serve to make yourself feel quite smart when you can control women with such language. Tell me; do you also use the B word to shut women up? A six year old learns the art of manipulation, an adult learns to say what he means and mean what he says. Grow up, you give decent intelligent men a bad rap. This is a forum for sharing ideas, not to put someone you don't agree with down to make your point. Shame on you!!!! Men who have to resort to verbal and/or physical abuse of women are nothing more than a COWARD!

To brbdoll1,
My original response to this post was to simply point out that boycotting banks and a comparison to the civil rights movement was a gross over reaction to a basic lack of ownership problem. Our society has gotten to the point that we love to blame everyone else for our issues except ourselves. I wasn't trying to out debate her. She sounded like a disgruntled whiner and I felt compelled to point it out.
I have PLENTY of problems but I take responsibility for them. I do not pass off my ownership of my problems on "the man". As typical, the original remarks which prompted my first response is now lost in a fog of stupidity.
As for your opinion of how I treat the women in my life you are way off the mark. I would dare say what I said to any sex that was not able to look inward. If you look at her second post to my response, THAT was vicious! You said nothing of that because you think I am a man. Honey, you have a problem.
I have never resorted to physical or emotional abuse of any sex but I will say that I am slightly flattered that you actually thought I was a man.
I am a woman.

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